In 1999 the Orcinus orca crocodile thrillerLake Placidwas release and performed modestly well at the box office . Thanks to the Sy / Fy channel , it became an unexpected franchise , with five follow - ups to particular date . Here ’s how each of them outrank , from worst to good .

The Steve Miner film , written and produced by David Kelley , was a sly riff onJaws . At the prison term , Kelley was the producer of several critically - acclaimed tv set shows includingAlly McBeal . He used his clout to get bothLake Placidand his sports dramaMystery Alaskaon studio apartment desk . Miner , who had just directed the successfulHalloween : H20 , was a effective selection to helm the pic . His previous music genre course credit included an eclectic lean of titles includingFriday the 13thPart 2&3,House , andForever Young .

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Grace Caroline Currey as Violet looking intensely with wet hair on a boat in A Breed Apart

Lake Placidwas turned down by every major studio apartment . Even with Kelley and Miner behind it , the project was not deemed commercial enough at the prison term . It eventually got the immature Christ Within after Stan Winston make a realistic animatronic creature . His dreaded existence impressed international investors , which in turn revived interest group by execs at 20thCentury Fox . Though the pic was met with assorted reviews , it was a solid performing artist in house and became even more popular on home video recording . It lento developed a lover base , which fall public lecture of a sequel several old age later on . It evidence the idealistic exploitable title for the Sci - Fi ( Sy / Fy ) Channel , which fund five follow - ups .

6. Lake Placid: Legacy (2018)

This whole unrelated entry in theLake Placidseries is incredibly derivative and inconsequential . Using more of theAnacondatemplate , it relies more on legal action than suspense – and give way the crocodile small screen meter . Some young activists go to an island in the middle of a lake and are terrify by a jumbo crocodile – the result of an experiment give out untimely . While the film gets points for not rely on a lot of defective CGI to render the croc , the legal age of the film take place in a dark and generic “ research facility ” set .

5. Lake Placid 3 (2010)

The Bickermans cover their insalubrious family relationship with crocs after Sadie ( Cloris Leachman ) dies . Her nephew Nathan ( Colin Ferguson ) take up the mantel , raising several babies that presently start out to wreak mayhem once again in Black Lake . Terrible CGI , unbiased performances and adolescent witticism taste intemperately to make the first continuation look exceptional . Director Griff Furst would go on to direct several made - for - idiot box monster films includingSwamp Shark , Ghost SharkandAlligator Alley .

4. Lake Placid 2 (2007)

There ’s more crocodile fuss in Black Lake when three giant specimen begin chomp down on the local . John Schneider , Sarah Lafleur and , surprisingly , Cloris Leachman toy out a very familiar scenario with little conviction . With none of the magic spell or suspense of the original , this direct continuation is a typical made - for - cable’s length excursion . After the outstanding virtual effects of the original , the terrible CGI in this follow - up is especially jarring .

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3. Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012)

overtop the broken hope of the title , this is a pretty solid made - for - cable film with a smart script and a game cast . The inspired assumption revolves around the transformation of Black Lake into a crocodile sanctuary – complete with an galvanizing fencing and a mellow school bus topology making that pivotal “ unseasonable turn . ” Yancy Butler takings as Reba , former poacher now working for the E.P.A. andRobert Englundshows up as Jim Bickerman . Director Don Michael Paul gives the bad CGI effects some tooth with fast paced direction and a sluttish pinch .

2. Lake Placid Vs. Anaconda (2015)

While “ Lake Placid ” was not the name of the crocodile in any of the previous films , the canonical premise is communicated well enough by the cockamamie deed of conveyance . Butler and Englund return in what is fundamentally aRoger Cormancreature movie from the 70s ; giddy , slim , and self - aware . A giant crocodile and a giant anaconda square off while sorority sister go for an badly - timed lake break . While this ca n’t be considered a upright film by any stretch , it ’s the most fair of all the sequels and one of the more fun entry .

1. Lake Placid (1999)

Steve Miner ’s flick was nice surprise when liberate in 1999.Lake Placidwas   a quirky character clowning with some nifty practical effects , and the picture show has aged well . Bill Pullman plays a Pisces and plot policeman who teams with Bridget Fonda ’s gutsy fossilist to attend into the demise of a Aqua-Lung diver bitten in half at Black Lake . A great roll , including a funny carrying out by Betty White and a surprisingly witty script give a unique turn to what could have been a by - the - number monster moving-picture show .

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Bill Pullman, Briget Fonda and Brendan Gleeson on boat on lake in Lake Placid